Chapter 4

It seemed that Nonna was extremely thirsty, as she gulped down the fruit water made from diluted orange juice that I bought for her in one go. So, I bought another one and then bought two sandwiches with grilled meat and cucumber before returning to the bench.

Nonna was about to bite into the sandwich right away, but she suddenly looked startled and said "thank you" before starting to eat enthusiastically.

(What should I do?)

Her mother probably won't come.

Judging from the fact that she was taught to say thank you, her parents must have raised her with some care. But it seems they have fallen on hard times. Or perhaps she got in the way of a new lover. When I asked, she said she doesn't have a father.

"Chew slowly or you'll choke."

"Okay."

"I have another glass of fruit water, so drink while you eat."

"Okay."

"How old are you, Nonna?"

"Six."

When I was eight, I was taken in by the young Lancer after my father's business failed and he was about to be sent to work for another family. No, to be precise, I was sold for a considerable amount of money. But that was inevitable, and I don't resent my parents. Rather, I feel good that I could be of help to my family.

After finishing the sandwiches, Nonna started to nod off.

"You've been waiting for four hours. Poor thing."

Nonna is sleeping soundly on my lap. She's a cute child with blonde hair and blue-gray eyes, though she's dirty. If a bad person had noticed her, she would have been taken away immediately. I'm glad I noticed her.

I stayed there until it got dark, but as expected, her mother didn't come.

(This child has been abandoned.)

I decided to carry the sleeping Nonna on my back and look for the security station. Nonna will probably be sent to an orphanage. Will she wait for her mother there? I was thinking about this when I saw a young man running towards me from the front.

(Dangerous. I need to avoid him.)

I thought this, but the bag the man was carrying was clearly a woman's. It must be a purse snatcher. I had no choice but to carry Nonna on my back. If I were still an agent, I wouldn't have gotten involved, but (now I'm just a well-meaning civilian) and I acted without much thought, perhaps because it was my first day of freedom and I was a bit excited.

I braced myself and stretched out my leg to trip the man as he passed by. The man fell spectacularly with a thud.

"Ouch!"

The man was quickly pinned down by a well-built silver-haired man who had been chasing him from behind.

"Be still!"

The silver-haired giant had a thin rope for some reason. He tied the man's hands behind his back with practiced hands and then thanked me.

"Miss, thank you."

"No, it's nothing. By the way, are you going to hand this man over to the security team? If so, I can go with you."

"Huh? Why?"

"This child is probably an abandoned child."

The silver-haired man looked at my back.

"Is that so? Then I'll take you there."

He said nothing more and returned the bag to an elderly woman who looked like a noble and had just caught up. The woman with white hair bent gracefully and thanked him repeatedly before leaving.

The silver-haired man, who introduced himself as Jeffrey Asher, took the young man he had tied up and led the way.

Asher appeared to be in his early thirties, with a well-built physique. He was about 190 cm tall and weighed around 80 kg. He was wearing quite expensive clothes. With his silver hair, blue eyes, and good looks, he must be quite popular with women. And he has an incredibly pleasant voice.

The security station was a large two-story building in the center of the bustling area. Two guards with swords stood at the entrance and straightened up when they saw Asher.

"We caught a purse snatcher and brought him here."

"Thank you, Captain!"

Captain? If it's the security team, he must be a captain of the knights or the army. He's in civilian clothes, so he must be on leave.

"And this lady?"

"She helped protect an abandoned child. Please take care of her."

I was led down the left corridor by a security officer, while Asher took the thief to the right. After explaining the circumstances and showing my ID, I signed the documents as Victoria Serrers and then asked about something that was bothering me.

"What will happen to this child tonight?"

"She will stay here tonight. We will contact the orphanage, but it will take at least until tomorrow to arrange a place and have a responsible person come."

She has been waiting for her mother for a long time and will have to sleep alone at the station tonight. I remember when I was taken to an organization's facility at the age of eight and cried myself to sleep in an unfamiliar room, feeling scared and lonely.

"Could I take her to the hotel where I'm staying for just tonight? I just arrived in this country and don't have a guarantor, but I've spent several hours with this child and it would be heartbreaking to leave her here."

"You don't have a guarantor? Hmm... I would like to allow it because you're a well-meaning guardian, but if you turn out not to be a guest at the Flood Hotel as you wrote, we would be in a difficult position."

That's true. It's probably not possible. Just as I was about to give up, I was called from behind.

"Can I check if this lady is really staying at the Flood Hotel? I'm off today. She was the one who tripped the purse snatcher."

"Really? Miss Serrers, thank you for your cooperation. And thank you for checking the hotel, Captain."

"Sure, I appreciate your help in the arrest. I also feel bad for the child to be left alone in this stuffy station."

"Don't call it stuffy."

With the security officer's permission, I was allowed to take Nonna to my room for the night.

"I'll carry the child."

"Thank you, that would be a great help."

Asher easily picked up Nonna and chatted with me all the way to the hotel. His deep, smooth voice was captivating.

Asher is the captain of the Second Knights, who are responsible for the security of the capital, a higher organization than the security team.

"Where are you from, Miss?"

"I'm from the neighboring Randall Kingdom."

"How long will you be staying in this country?"

"My family died in a fire, so I'm moving here to start over."

I answered smoothly with the prepared answers. It's good to make a good impression on the captain of the knights. I answered with a smile and a friendly demeanor. I try not to lie as much as possible. It's easier to remember and less likely to contradict.

"You speak our language very well."

"Thank you."

On the way, we bought a change of clothes for Nonna and arrived at the hotel. I explained Nonna's situation to the front desk man who greeted me with "Welcome back, Miss Serrers." Asher seemed to be on good terms with the receptionist.

When we reached the room and Nonna was gently placed on the bed, I thanked Asher, and he stood up straight.

"Thank you for your help in the arrest and for protecting the child. Good night."

He finished in Captain mode and left. I watched him go and locked the door.

My first day as Victoria Serrers was quite eventful.